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The Cinn
The Cinn are an ancient cult who existed long before any of the towns of Singarth were built. They are said to wander the marshes between Witchmeadow and Butterfog Hollow, with some reports of activity as far as Scrybrook. The legend tells it that the Cinn are the product of the love between the Mother and a Fae-Folk boy. It is said that it is this Fae blood in their veins that gives them the capability to bend magic. Many superstitions surround the Cinn. It is said that they can transform themselves into Black Dogs to travel the marshes, and summon will o' the wisps to trick travellers and serfs into going the wrong way. They have unnaturally long lifespans, living for several hundred years before they are considered to be elderly, and are few in number. The Cinn once walked freely with the people of Singarth, and often became witch doctors in their small villages and helped them to make their way across the marshes from Knoxwater to Landburn. Four hundred years ago, when the Saegar arrived in Singarth from the mainland continents, they denounced the Cinn as tricksters and devils. At first, belief in the Saegar was weak, but soon enough they began to make their own magic that surpassed the capabilities of the Cinn. In fear, the people began driving them into the marshes, and their numbers dwindled thanks to public executions and so-called witch hunts. The truth is simple. The Cinn are capable of magic in small forms - they can help to heal wounds, bend nature to their will, predict the future and shapeshift. Their leader, for the last hundred years or so, has been a male Cinn called Dullahan. His anger and bitterness have led the Cinn to become vengeful, and often they will strike out against people who venture too far away from their towns. They have recently started kidnapping children in order to try to teach them their ways and magic. Mereavus' only daughter was one such abducted child, taken when she was little more than three years old. Some segments of the Cinn linger in cults, generally taking refuge from their angry brothers and sisters in the sewer systems and impoverished areas in cities, or posing as serfs. These segments are those that still love mankind and believe that the Saegar can be overcome, but unfortunately, they are usually the ones to bear the brunt of the xenophobic fear of the Singarth people. Their attitudes are slowly changing. Appearance The Cinn appear much like humans. They have slightly peculiar ears that are shaped like webs, though most of the cultists in the cities will cut them to appear normal. Their shapeshifting capabilities extend to all manner of ancient beasts, from Black Dogs to Bauchans (gremlin-like marsh Brownies) and water-serpents. The size of the beast tends to affect their use of power, which they draw from the mud itself, as it is the most direct way to access the soul of the Mother. It is said that Dullahan is capable of becoming an antlered beast of great ferocity, but it has never actually been seen by anyone but the Cinn. Life in the Marshes The Cinn are forced to defend themselves from all manner of beasts and spectres in the marshes. The citizens of Witchmeadow have learned that Hounds of the Hill (fairy dogs) can be captured and turned against them. They must also contend with the Sluagh spirits, who are the enraged souls of the Singarth people they have led astray and killed. Dullahan draws the presence of Melusine, a spirit who the Cinn believe to be a physical manifestation of the Mother. The Mother The Mother is, very simply, the earth. Over time, the terms 'Mother' and 'Father' have been used to depict the earth and God, who, if the Saegar are to be believed, have been going through something of a bitter divorce after the Mother's betrayal of God with the Fae-Boy. Her Tree is of vital importance to the Cinn, and its location has always been believed to be the Cinnradel Academy. It is revered as a life form of great importance, as it is a physical link to the Mother. The mud from its roots is supposedly imbued with powerful magical energy. Melusine and Carradine Melusine and Carradine are spirits of the marshes. Over the years, Melusine has become a figure representing the Mother to the Cinn, and many mistakenly believe that she is the Mother herself. Initially, they were intended as messengers from the Mother, but they have become corrupted. They crave power and influence, and will do whatever they can to gain this. Melusine is accepted as the more benevolent of the two, attaining her status through simple manipulation and the use of belief, whilst Carradine is thought to be a bloodthirsty creature with no remorse. Wherever there are unusually dry patches of ground and tiny, bright blue flowers (often seeming to grow inside corpses or eating into the side of trees), these spirits will not be far away. The Cinnradel Academy The Academy still stands from when the Cinn and humans lived together harmoniously. It has been boarded up and still houses many of the crystal cabinets that hold the books and tomes of the ancient Cinn. It is a forbidden place to humans, and even the Cinn are wary of it. They sense an unusual, dead quality to the soil, and they recognise the blue flowers that grow on the walls. They call it a cursed place, and will avoid it where possible.